Minister Chiumia heckled during Gonapamuhanya speech: ‘ Jala pamlomo’

Hecklers interrupted Minister of Sports and Culture Grace Chiumia on Saturday when she was delivering a speech at Tumbuka cultural event Gonapamuhanya at Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe’s Bolero headquarters in Rumphi.

Chiumia invited the boos when she departed from her prepared speech to rebuke Speaker of Parliament Richard Msowoya for urging leaders against making abusive and rude remarks to their people, which she misinterpreted as an attacked aimed at President Peter Mutharika.

Speaker Msowoya, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) vice-president, received cheers from the crowds punctuated by ululation when he said “leadership is not about insulting the people.”

Chiumia, however got the wrong end of the stick, as she misread that Msowoya was referring to Mutharika’s recent ranting at a news conference where he banged tables in a desperate attempt to explain on the bloated Malawi delegation to last month’s United Nations General Assembly amid prevailing economic woes.

But Msowoya said his remarks were directed to “to all leaders, including Paramount Chief Chikulamayembe himself.”

But when Chiumia spoke, she want to reprimand the Speaker, saying it was not right for him to expect leaders not to get angry as they are also human beings.

“The Speaker himself also gets angry and bangs the table when MPs [members of Parliament] misbehave in Parliament,” pointed out Chiumia.

But crowds heckled her “jala pamlomo [shut your mouth]”

Leader of opposition in Parliament Lazarus Chakwera, also spoke at the at the Gonapamuhanya ceremony which pays tribute to the Chikulamayembe kingship

Chakwera described himself as a “son-in-law” since his wife hails from Chikulamayembe’s Nkhamanga Kingdom.